Clutch for button-hole-stitching machines



(No Model.)

J. REEGE. 'GLUTGH FOR BUTTON HOLE STITOHING MACHINES- No. 459,046.Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

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JOHN REECE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLUTCH FOR BUTTON-HOLE-STITCHING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,046, datedSeptember 8, 1891.

Application filed March 3, 1891 To all whom it may concern:

3e it known that 1, JOHN REECE, of Boston, countyof Suffolk, State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Clutches forButfon-Hole-Stitching Machines, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention is an improvement upon that described in United StatesLetters Patent No. 307,063, granted to me July 26, 1887.

The patent referred to shows a loose bandwheel and a clutch applied tothe main shaft of the machine, so that said shaft may be rotated or beleft at rest at the desired times, as, for instance, it may be rotatedwhile the stitch-forming mechanism of the sewing-machine is stitchingthe edges of a button-hole, it permitting the shaft to remain at restnotwithstanding the rotation of the pulley, while the frame carrying thestitching mechanism and the button-hole-cutting mechanism is being movedinto proper relation to the usual stationary work-holder to cut aslit inthe material to be stitched.

The patent referred to shows a rock-shaft having two arms, one of whichco-operates with a clutch-lever, the other arm having a toe which isacted upon during the movements of the frame carrying the stitchingmechanism by a controlling-bar having a movable block provided with aninclined end, the said controlling-bar being vibrated automaticallyduring the stitching of each button-hole.

In this invention I have done away with the vibrating controlling-barandin its place have substituted a stationary controlling-bar having ashelf and a cam, the shelf being adapted to receive upon it the toe ofthe arm of the clutch-actuating rock-shaft, the said rock-shaft, whenthe toe referred to rides 011 the shelf, effecting the release of theclutchlever to enable the shaft of the machine to be rotated. The armhaving the toe referred to has also been provided with a swingingadjustable dog, which, when the frame carrying the stitch-formingmechanism is moving in one direction, by acting upon the cam of thecontrolling-bar lifts the arm to which it is attached far enough toplace the dog referred Serial No. 383,590. (No model.)

to upon the shelf referred to, the dog having passed the cam,permittingthe toe to descend upon the shelf and ride thereon while the button-holeis being stitched. During this operation the toe rides along the shelfin one direction and then rides back along the shelf in the oppositedirection, the toe dropping from the abrupt end of the shelf (the endupon which it was lifted) when the end of the button-hole has beenreached and the stitching of the button-hole has been completed. Thepivoted dog referred to offers no obstruction to the dropping of the toefrom the shelf.

The employment of a stationary control-- ling-bar and providing the armreferred to with a loosely-mounted adjustable dog adds to the durabilityand efiiciency of the machine.

Figure 1 in side elevation represents a sufficient portion of abutton-hole-stifching machine to enable my invention to be understood.Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale, shows the toe-carrying arm detached; Fig.3, a section of Fig. 2 in the line on, looking to the left; Fig. 4, anunder side View of the arm shown in Fig. 2; and Figs. 5, 0, and 7 arerespectively an edge, a plan view, and a section of the controlling-bar,the section being in the line 00, Fig. 5.

The framework A, made longitudinally movable upon the base A has a shafta, provided with a loose belt-wheel a and a clutchlever b.

The clutch-lever has cooperating with it a stud I), carried by an arm bof a rock-shaft a, located below and substantially parallel with theshaft a, the said rock-shaft having a second arm (1, provided with a toe(Z. The arm b carries a pawl g.

In practice the frame A carries stitch-forming mechanism and cuttingmechanism, substantially such as represented in my United States PatentNo. M9359, dated September 21, 1886.

Herein, asin the Patent No. $67,063, it is desired to actuate therock-shaft a at a certain time during the movement of the frame A tostart the stitch-forming mechanism in operation and to continue the saidstitchforming mechanism in action while the two ICO straight sides andthe eye or round end of a button-hole is stitched and to stop the actionof the stitch-forming mechanism as soon as the end of the secondstraight side of the button-hole is reached; but the arm carrying thestitching mechanism continues to move for a distance sufficient to bringthe cutting mechanism, such as referred to in Patent No. 349,359, inposition to cut the next button-hole to be stitched, and to then movethe cutting mechanism away from the work-clamp, so that the stitchingmay be again commenced.

Instead of the controlling-bar represented in Patent No. 367,063, I haveprovided the stationary frame A of the machine with a controlling-bar 6,(shown enlarged and detached in Figs. 5, 6, and 7,) the saidcontrolling-bar being confined in position by a suitable setscrew 2' ina slot 3 of the controlling-bar. This controlling-bar has a shelf 6, theinner end of which is made abrupt by undercutting the same, as bestrepresented by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and at one side of the front endof this shelf is a cam 6 The arm (1 has pivoted to it at a dogf,normally held by a spring 4 against an adjustable stop 5, (shown as aset-screw.) The central part of the controlling-bar is cutaway at theleft of the shelf and the cam 6 VVhenever the toe 01 travels on the lowpart 8 of the controlling-bar, the rod or stud b of the arm Z) restsunder the clutch-lever I), freeing it and the shaft a from thebelt-pulley a Let it be assumed, viewing Fig.1, that the frame A isbeing moved in usual manner, as provided for in the Patent No. 349,359,toward the right, and that in so doing the pivoted dog fhas acted uponthe earn (2 of the controlling-bar, and that the said dog has ridden upover the said cam, as shown in said figure. As the dog rode up the camthe arm d was lifted, turning the rock-shaft a and causing the stud I)of the arm b to release the clutch, so that thereafter in the furtherrotation of the pulley a the shaft a was taken up and rotated to startthe stitch-forming mechanism. As the (log rode up the cam referred to,it lifted the toe d above the abrupt inner end of the shelf e, and justas the dog starts down the right side of the cam, Fig. 1, it lets thetoe down upon the shelf. As soon as the rotation of the shaft Ct wasstarted the stitchforming mechanism commenced to operate, and during thefurther movement of the frame A to the right the toe referred to rides011 the shelf 6, and the toe continues to ride on the shelf to the rightuntil one side of the button-hole is stitched, it remaining there whiletheeye end of the butt-on-holeis stitched, when the frame, as providedfor in Patent No. 349,359, is again moved toward the left to enable thesecond side of the button-hole to be stitched. The toe (1 during thestitching of the second side of the button-hole rides on the shelf; butas soon as the stitching arrives at the end of the second side of thebutton hole the toe immediately drops off the abrupt end of the shelf,letting the stud carried by the arm 17 come into position to arrest theclutch and stop the rotation of the shaft a and the action of thestitch-forming mechanism; but the motion of the frame A toward the leftcontinues, the toe d riding upon the lower part 8 of the controlling-baruntil the cutting mechanism referred to is put into position andactuated,wl1en the movement of the frame A to the right is againcommenced. It will be noticed that the pivoted dog affords noobstruction to the descent of the toe from the shelf. By turning theadjusting device or stop 5 the normal position of the pivoted dogf fromthe vertical may be readily changed, so as to lift the arm cl and thetoe for a greater or less distance, so as to come unerringly upon theshelf.

Preferably the shelf will be composed of an independent hardened steelplate attached to the controlling-bar by suitable screws.

I claim- 1. The clutch-controlling rock-shaf t having arms 12 and cl,and a toe and a pivoted dog, combined with a controllingbar having ashelf and a cam, to operate substantially as described.

2. The clutch-controllingrock-shaft having arms I) and d, and a toe anda pivoted dog, combined with a controlling-bar having a shelf and a cam,and with an adjusting device for the said pivoted dog, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN REECE.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, A. S. TIEGAND.

